Tuesday, December 22, 2015

ACEC Recognizes Garver for Colleyville’s Water & Wastewater Master Plan


The American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas recently awarded Garver an Engineering Excellence Award in the Studies, Research and Consulting Engineering Services category for work done on the City of Colleyville’s 2014 Water and Wastewater Master Plan.



The City’s large water-demand swings presented extreme difficulties to its water and wastewater system operation. Without a computerized model, the operations staff was largely reactionary to high demand events. In addition, new City construction and development was being implemented which continuously altered the usage patterns within the City. This often resulted in an unknown level of service for both water and wastewater services.

A major component of the master plan was the development of a water model. Water models are typically developed based on City-wide consumption records and housing density. However, Garver’s innovative approach combined real time data from the City’s main water meters, pump stations, and water towers with monthly records from each customer’s water meters to model the City’s water usage in Bentley WaterGEMS on minimum, average, and peak demand days. Once the system was modeled, Garver calibrated the system with flow test data provided by City staff.

This project gave the City a road map to future buildout, and exceeded that effort by also highlighting existing areas of deficiency and prioritizing all projects based on several mutually-agreed upon factors.  To find out what the Garver Water Team can do for you, visit our website here.

Friday, December 18, 2015

MNAA Breaks Ground on Largest Geothermal Lake Plate Cooling System

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), which owns and operates Nashville International Airport (BNA), recently broke ground on what will be the largest geothermal lake plate cooling system in North America. The former rock quarry located east of BNA’s Runway 2R/20L contains around 1.5 billion gallons of water, which hovers around 50 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.


This sustainability project will circulate water through submerged geothermal heat exchangers, then on to the airport terminal’s central plant, which will cool the terminal at a cost significantly less than the current cooling methods.

"This is a remarkable project for its scope, ingenuity and efficiency," said Rob Wigington, president and CEO of MNAA. "The Airport Authority is committed to making sustainability an integral part of our business model. Not because sustainability is easy—rather, it is often a complex process—but because the benefits to our airports, the region and our environment are overwhelmingly positive.”

“The effects of the coordinated efforts between the MNAA, Garver, Blakely Construction Services, Energy Systems Group, and Smith Seckman Reid will save 1.3 million kilowatt-hours, 30 million gallons of potable water, and $430,000 in utility savings each year,” said Garver Vice President Ryan Sisemore. “This is a great example of what a prudential airport authority can accomplish when it commits to addressing its complex jobs with creative solutions.”

Construction on this $10.2 million project is expected to be completed in summer 2016.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Merry Christmas from Garver


Garver believes in the value of water. And we believe in empowering communities. We believe local entrepreneurs are the key to solving the world water crisis. That's why this holiday season we're partnering with Water4, an organization that trains people in impoverished communities to drill their own water wells and install their own hand pumps.

Through GarverGives, our company will match the amount our employees and clients give through donations made at Water4.org/GarverGives. Our hope is that together, we can raise $5,000, which will provide the initial investment for equipping a trained team to start their own drilling business, bringing a sustainable solution for clean water to a community in need.

Join us in giving a gift that will last way longer than the holiday season, visit Water4.org/GarverGives.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

ABI Project Earns Pavement Award

The Texas Asphalt Pavement Association recently presented its 2015 Quality Asphalt Pavement Award for a Large Airport to Abilene Regional Airport's Runway 17L/35R rehabilitation project, for which Garver’s Aviation Team provided design and construction management services. The award recognizes the excellence achieved in the paving project, including its texture quality and smooth surface.


“This award recognizes the dedication to quality that the airport was fortunate to have from many contributors,” said the director of aviation for the city of Abilene, Don Green. “Duininck Inc.'s management and construction crews and its sub-contractors worked hard to give us this final result. I also want to recognize that this project involved a broader team: the Southwest Region of the Federal Aviation Administration; the airport's engineering firm, Garver; our project inspection firm, Jacob and Martin; quality assurance testing firm Enprotec, Hibbs & Todd; and Airport Staff. Everyone worked well together.”

Garver is proud to work with the airport, the city, and the construction community in Abilene. To read more about the project, see the article featured in the recent issue of IQ.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Garver Helps Mark the Bicentennial of Louisiana Purchase Land Survey

In recognition of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase Land Survey, a group of government-funded agencies held celebrations at four locations in Arkansas's Louisiana Purchase State Park. Students and visitors attending the celebrations watched living historians portray surveying practices used in the 1815 survey, among other things. The new Base Line Trail and visitor's access/parking lot were also dedicated during the two-day event.


Joseph Brown and Prospect Robbins had the task of being the first to survey land west of the Mississippi River in October 1815. The Initial Point of the Fifth Principal Meridian is situated where the Base Line intersected the Meridian on November 10 of that year. This grid origin enabled numbering of townships and ranges in land boundaries in six states and as far north as the Canadian border. 

“These scraggly men of science lived for months in the wilderness under primitive conditions in fall and winter weather while recording detailed measurements and environmental reports,” said Garver Senior Project Manager Bill Ruck, who volunteered at the bicentennial. “Brown and Robbins were obligated to deal with the convergence of the meridians as they squared up a round world.”

Sponsors of the bicentennial included the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the U.S. Forestry Service, the Arkansas Society of Professional Surveyors, the School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Arkansas State Parks, and the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Committee on which Ruck has served since 1999.

The committee recently announced intentions to place an 18-foot-tall monument to Brown and Robbins that will stand in downtown Little Rock once funding for fabrication is secured.


Technology has changed since the days of the Louisiana Purchase, but surveying is still as important. Find out what Garver’s Survey Team can do for you by visiting our website today.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Garver Publishes IQ Volume 7 Issue 3


The newest issue of Garver's IQ should be in subscribers' mailboxes soon. In the meantime, you can begin reading our online edition now. This edition features:

Director's Insight
Garver will always have opportunities for hardworking employees
The preservation and proliferation of our unified Garver culture is what makes us strong. That culture engages our employees to provide the highest level of service to our clients and establish their trust, while attracting others to join us in doing so.

Abilene Regional Airport

Abilene, Texas
Runway 17L-35R Rehabilitation
ABI's existing aircraft fleet mix and annual operations exceeded the structural capacity for its primary use runway, which was experiencing delamination on the pavement surface and sub-surface layers.

Frisco Trail
Fayetteville, Arkansas
New Connection
This $1.4 million project has opened up areas of the City to developers, who see the trail system as an amenity that helps make their development more desirable for future buyers or renters, whether that's students biking to class, or commercial businesses that cater directly to the trail's users.

Grace Creek WWTP
Longview, Texas
Increasing Performance
Garver prioritized the City's improvements based on condition and designed innovative solutions that focused on optimizing anaerobic digestion performance, increasing biogas production, and alleviating operations and maintenance challenges.

Environmental Team
All Garver Locations
Expanding Capabilities
The team is well versed in everything from site assessments to biological and habitat evaluations, NEPA documentation, wetlands and stream mitigation, and permitting and certification.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Garver Adopts Portion of Springdale's Trail System

Garver employees recently partnered with the Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks (BCO) and Bike Springdale to give back to the Northwest Arkansas bicycling community and support the BCO's mission of promoting bicycling by adopting a portion of the Razorback Greenway Trail in Springdale.


“Garver has worked with local cities to plan and develop portions of the Northwest Arkansas trails system; uses the trails system; and feels a responsibility to help provide upkeep on the trails for the betterment of the community,” the City of Springdale said in a press release.

“We have a strong bicycle culture at Garver, and we’re pleased to have the opportunity to keep the trail clean, but we also look forward to assisting the city, BCO, or other groups with beautification projects from time to time along this stretch of the trail,” said Project Manager Bart Gilbreath.

Employees utilized the company’s GarverGives matching program to turn their volunteer contribution into a financial one from the company. For more information about GarverGives, visit GarverUSA.com/GarverGives.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Garver Thanks Veterans for Their Service

On this Veteran’s Day, Garver would like to honor and give thanks to all the men and women who have served our country, as well as those who continue to serve our country through the nation’s military services. Today, we recognize those veterans who previously served our country to provide a safer nation and who now serve Garver in our mission to provide that same nation with sound infrastructure.

Thank you, veterans.

Wade Carpenter, Senior Project Surveyor, Survey
Guy Choate, Corporate Editor, Marketing
Darold Davis, Senior Project Manager, Transportation
Michael Hall, Technician, Water
Perry Havenar, Senior Planner, Aviation
Steve Haynes, Senior Project Manager, Transportation
Roger Knobeloch, Project Engineer, Aviation
Matt Koss, Project Manager, Aviation
Jerry Martin, Project Engineer, Water
Clarence Matthews, Chief Pilot/Travel Director, Corporate
Bryan Melton, Project Manager, Facilities Design
Melissa Mixon, Technician, Transportation
Jim Morris, Senior Construction Engineer, Construction
Robert Mullen, Construction Observer, Construction
Adam Peterson, Technician, Aviation
Randall Richards, Project Engineer, Aviation
Wallace Smith III, Director of Federal Services, Federal
Joe Sober, Project Engineer, Aviation
Kevin Sullivan, Senior Designer, Facilities Design
Bob Sunta, Project Manager, Facilities Design
Jim Ward, Senior Construction Observer, Construction
Robert Wilds, Operations Specialist, Water (Not Pictured)
Dan Williams, President and CEO
Wendell Williams, Senior Construction Observer, Construction

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

AASHTO Names Springdale Project Best Use of Innovation


The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently awarded the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department’s $13.23 million Don Tyson Parkway Interchange an America’s Transportation Award in the Best Use of Innovation category. Garver designed the project around a buried landfill under the interchange to ensure a stable roadway without excavation, completing the project more than six months ahead of schedule and $2.6 million under budget.


"Ultimately it's the American people who are the big winners," said John Cox, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. "These [winning] projects are a small example of how state DOTs are saving taxpayer dollars while building innovative projects to meet community needs."


"This project is another example of how Garver utilizes its strong relationships with regulatory agencies to meet requirements and deliver a complex transportation project of this size ahead of schedule on a routine basis," said Project Manager Jeff Webb.

AASHTO represents state departments of transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Read more about the Don Tyson Interchange project and see construction time-lapse videos in IQ Magazine Online.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Garver Recycles Bikes for Kids


Garver employees recently volunteered in Little Rock at the shop belonging to Recycle Bikes for Kids, a charity specializing in collecting, repairing, and giving bikes to kids. Employees aided in organizing inventory, changing tires, and dismantling all types of bicycles. 

“This is a fantastic program that restores life into old bicycles and gives them away to kids who otherwise may never have the chance to own a bike,” said Project Engineer Richard Corbyn. “I know my childhood would not have been complete without owning a bicycle, so I was happy to assist such a great cause.”

The organization hopes to give out over 2,100 bicycles in 2015. If you have a bike to donate to Recycle Bikes for Kids, call 501.207.1696. To find out more about the charitable work Garver does, visit GarverUSA.com/GarverGives.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Hall and Minkner Win Spirit of Garver Awards



As part of Summit 2015, Garver presented two employees each with a Spirit of Garver Award for their outstanding achievements and contribution to the company over the past year. Spirit of Garver nominees exhibit passion, dedication, and leadership as they aid their teams in pursuing Garver’s goals of being a strong, respected, and profitable company.


The selection committee chose Adam Hall and Luke Minkner to receive the Spirit of Garver Award, which carries with it a cash prize. Ten others were chosen from among many nominees to be recognized as finalists for what is one of the highest honors within the company.

Adam serves as a project manager with the Garver Transportation Team, while Luke is a software developer on our IT Team. Both recipients work out of the North Little Rock office.

Congratulations to our Spirit of Garver winners, our finalists, and our nominees.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Garver's New Conway Office Opens Downtown

Photo by Kelly Sublett of thecabin.net.

Garver recently hosted citizens and city leaders at the grand opening of our new downtown office in Conway, Arkansas. Mayor Tab Townsell noted the partnership the City has developed with Garver through recent projects and expressed his gratitude for investing in the revitalization of the downtown area.

“I commend Conway for adding value to the City through well-planned infrastructure,” Garver President and CEO Dan Williams said. “The City made an investment in us when they trusted us with major infrastructure projects, and through our new presence in the downtown business community we are excited to be invested in the future of Conway.”


Here are a few of the ways the partnership between Garver and the City of Conway is paying off through major infrastructure projects:

  •  Cantrell Field—This new regional airport in Conway is a safe, business jet-capable facility that can meet the demands of the business community.

  • Tupelo Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant—This new plant replaces the existing Stone Dam Treatment Plant and will serve the rapidly expanding central Arkansas metropolitan area for many years.

  • Baker-Wills Parkway— The project will reduce the vehicle miles traveled within the City, meaning not only will there be less traffic, but citizens will be spending less time in their cars, which results in more leisure time and less vehicle emissions.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Glenn Gregory Joins Texas Transportation Team

Garver is pleased to announce transportation engineering veteran Glenn Gregory has joined our Texas Transportation Team as the Texas Transportation Director and Vice President.

Glenn brings to Garver over 33 years of experience that includes transportation planning and design, flood control, drainage design and the planning and design of public and private utilities. Glenn has served in various engineering management functions in Austin and San Antonio providing leadership and oversight for transportation, municipal, environmental, public involvement projects and GEC/PMC programs. At Garver, Glenn will lead our growing state-wide Texas Transportation Team from its Austin office.

Call 512.485.0009 or email Glenn at GGGregory@GarverUSA.com today to find out what the Texas Transportation Team can do for you.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Employees Gather in Texas for Garver Summit 2015

Some 250 Garver employees from across the region recently gathered in the North Texas area to participate in Garver Summit 2015, the company’s fifth annual meeting. Garver opened its first Texas office in Frisco in 2005 and now the company has four Texas offices—Frisco, Houston, Fort Worth, and Austin.

Employees attended a dinner at Gilley’s Dallas where Garver executives discussed the company’s accomplishments over the past year and how the company hopes to accomplish its goals in the upcoming years.



“Achieving our goals will be the result of the extra effort you all have consistently given to go beyond what’s expected, to offer value-added service to our clients, to provide innovative solutions under tight timelines and restricted budgets, and to develop process improvements that efficiently impact workflows,” President and CEO Dan Williams told employees. “And we will continue to do those things because that makes us Garver.”

In addition to attending the dinner and business meetings, Garver employees were welcomed by Frisco Mayor Maher Maso at RoughRider Field, where they engaged in an intense team-building competition.



For more photos, check out Garver’s Facebook page here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Garver Employees Enjoy the Summer

At Garver, we value a healthy work-life balance. We see our employees enjoying work every day, but how do they enjoy life after working hours? Some went on trips, some spent time with family and friends, and quite a few enjoyed a summer of love by getting engaged or married. Now that fall is officially here, let's take a look at a few adventures our employees experienced over the summer.

Project Manager Mason Atkinson and his family spent a week on the north shore of Kauai.

Corporate Recruiter Marque Lloyd and her family visited Nanstein Castle in Landstuhl, Germany this summer while her husband served a deployment with the Air Force in Germany.

Project Engineer Amanda Way and her new husband enjoyed a trail ride at Robber’s Cave in Oklahoma as part of their honeymoon.

For more of our employees' summer adventures, check out the rest of the photos on our Facebook page.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Garver Named "Best Firm to Work For"



We’re proud to say the Zweig Group has named Garver a “Best Firm to Work For” for the second year in a row. The prestigious “Best Firm” list honors outstanding workplaces at architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms based on benefits offered and employee satisfaction. Garver ranked #3 in the multidisciplinary category and #5 overall when benchmarked against firms throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

“I am extremely proud that 100 percent of Garver employees surveyed during the evaluation process answered yes when asked ‘Should your firm qualify as one of the best firms to work for?’” said President and CEO Dan Williams. “Our leadership team is committed to maintaining a unique culture that is adaptive and motivational to our employees with benefits such as on-site gyms, a wellness program, paid over-time, and team-building events throughout the year."

To see how each of our offices celebrated the honor, take a look at our Facebook page.

Interested in being part of the Best Firm to Work For? Check out our job openings here.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Kleinschmidt Certified as PTOE

Kathy Kleinschmidt, PE, PTOE, has been nationally certified as a Professional Traffic Operations
Engineer. Kathy is a project manager on our Transportation Team who serves in our Frisco, Texas office.

The certification is sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. This designation identifies Kathy as an engineer with specialized knowledge and skill in the operation of traffic systems.

Learn more about Garver's traffic services here.

Monday, August 31, 2015

OKC's West River Trail Opens

Photo courtesy of www.okc.gov


Oklahoma City recently celebrated the grand opening of its $9.1 million West River Trail with bike rides and a free family festival.

Garver provided the city with a number of surveys, reports, and designs in support of the trail project, which is part of a 10-year construction program called MAPS 3, which is designed to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City.

“The expansion of our trails system is important to improving our quality of life,” Mayor Mick Cornett said. “Trails make Oklahoma City more livable, improve our economy, preserve our open spaces and encourage physical activity.”

The 7.5-mile multipurpose trail connects Lake Overholser to the south bank of the Oklahoma River and is the first of three MAPS 3 trails to open.

Garver previously worked with MAPS 3 to design the world’s only permanently lit river race course, which you can read about here.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Smith Elected to Head Arkansas Post of SAME


The Arkansas Post of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) recently elected Garver Director of Federal Services Wallace Smith to serve as post president.

Wallace has been involved in SAME around the country for over 20 years, serving in various leadership roles, but this will be his first time to serve as a post president, a term which will last one year.

“I’m honored to have this opportunity to play an integral role in carrying out the mission of such a prestigious organization,” Wallace said. “SAME makes a positive impact on the many lives it touches through its enhancement of the military engineering community.”

Garver Regional Marketing Administrator Cindy Gran is currently serving as past president and secretary in the SAME Tulsa Post, while Project Manager Sam Feezor is chair of outreach, education and mentoring at the Wichita Mountains Post.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Engineering Students Visit Garver Tulsa Office



Incoming freshmen at the University of Arkansas recently visited Garver’s Tulsa, Oklahoma office. The students are part of the university’s Engineering Career Awareness Program, which is an engineering diversity recruitment-to-graduation initiative designed to increase the number of underrepresented students entering and graduating from engineering disciplines. Garver Project Engineer Pedro Maltos, who helped organize the tour, is an alumnus of the program’s inaugural class.

Garver employees gave the students an introduction to civil engineering and the process for project development and execution within the consulting industry. The students discussed design components with engineers and visited a job site to see those components applied first-hand.

For more information on the Engineering Career Awareness Program, which is in its ninth year, visit the program’s website here.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Zweig Group Names Garver to 2015 Hot Firm List

For the fifth year in a row, Garver is ranked in the Zweig Group Hot Firm List, which recognizes the 100 fastest-growing engineering, architecture, planning, and environmental consulting firms in the United States and Canada.

The Hot Firm List recognizes the nation's top 100 firms that have "outperformed the economy and competitors to become leaders in their chosen fields." Firms are ranked according to their three-year growth rate in gross revenue, with half of the ranking based on percentage growth and 50 percent on dollar growth.

This year Garver lands at #50 on the list, up from #55 last year.

“Our Garver teams have set high goals and are highly motivated to excel,” said Chief Operating Officer Brock Hoskins. “Our continued climb up the Hot Firm List is the A/E/C industry’s recognition of our exceptional performance.”

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Garver Team Wins LT100 MTB Stage Race


A Garver-sponsored bicycling team recently won 1st place at the 2015 Leadville MTB Stage Race, which took place in the mountains of Colorado. The team was made up of Garver Texas Water Team Leader Jeff Sober, Garver Director of Water Services Steve Jones, and Jonathan Mach, husband of Garver Water Project Manager Mary Elizabeth Mach. The win means that all three men qualified to race the 2016 LT100 Race Across the Sky.

Congrats Team Garver! See more photos of the team and our other Garver athletes on our Facebook page.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Garver Mitigates Emergency Rock Slide

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently utilized Garver’s Construction Services Team for an emergency project on Interstate 35 south of Davis. In response to what could have developed into a potentially dangerous scenario for drivers in Oklahoma, Garver recently provided mitigation of a rock slide area along the freeway.



“I-35 sees a lot of traffic, and due to the instability of the remaining rock, the north-bound lanes had to be shut down,” said Project Manager Shannon McGarrah. “If that rock would’ve come down on its own timeline, it could’ve seriously hurt someone. Fortunately crews were deployed and their efforts alleviated that danger in a way that will keep drivers safe.”

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Clement Passes Structural Engineering Exam


Garver congratulates Project Engineer David Clement, PE, who serves on Garver’s Facilities Design Team in the North Little Rock, Arkansas office, for passing the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) 16-hour Structural Engineering Exam. 

Typical pass rates for the SE exam are well below 50 percent, so passing allows an engineer to distinguish himself as having an uncommon level of expertise in the field of structural engineering.

“David passing this exam is further proof clients should be confident Garver will provide excellent solutions to structural engineering problems,” said Director of Facilities Design John Watkins.

Congratulations, David.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

KSPE Elects Stodola State President


The Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE) recently elected Garver Project Manager Adam Stodola its state president.

The organization works to promote, recognize and enhance the engineering profession by delivering professional development products and services, encouraging licensure, and advocating legislation, and public policy for the betterment of human welfare and the profession.

“I’ve been a licensed professional engineer in Kansas for 10 years now,” Adam said. “I’m excited about this opportunity to play a leadership role in advancing the engineering profession in the state of Kansas.”

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Garver Publishes IQ Volume 7 Issue 2



The newest issue of Garver's IQ should be in subscribers' mailboxes soon. In the meantime, you can begin reading our online edition now. This edition features:

Director's Insight
Garver Remembers Former President Ted Hannah
We at Garver are saddened by the recent passing of former Garver President Ted Hannah, who retired in 2001 after nearly 40 years of service, but left his mark in many ways.

SR-7 Over Tallahatchie River
Lafayette County, Mississippi
Bridge Replacement
State Route 7 in Lafayette County, Mississippi is an important commercial corridor as it's one of two main routes connecting the City of Oxford with the rest of the state. Until recently, the highway crossed the Tallahatchie River via an aging truss bridge that required replacement.

Springdale Water Utilities
Springdale, Arkansas
Capital Improvement Planning
Garver assisted one of the largest and most complex water and wastewater systems in Arkansas to ensure safe and reliable service to its customers. The system includes over 1,000 miles of pipe that would stretch from Springdale to Winnipeg, Canada.

Urban Planning
New Garver Service
Implementable Plans
Client feedback regularly reveals that people typically choose to work with Garver because of our commitment to quality, our ability to adopt their vision, and because we're a multi-disciplined firm, offering a full range of services under one roof. With the formation of our new Urban Planning Team, that's even more true.

Nashville International Airport
Nashville, Tennessee
Runway 13-31 West Improvements
Garver completed survey and geotechnical investigations (via subs) as well as design, bidding and construction phase services. Design services included geometric design, grading, drainage, pavements, markings, electrical, and Navaid improvements.

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